About Me
My name is Manuel Gonzalez Ruiz de Zarate. I was born in 1977 in Cienfuegos, Cuba, just a few meters from the sea. My earliest memory is sitting on the floor of my grandparents’ living room, drawing, while my grandfather brought me endless sheets of paper and pencils. I was only two years old, and ever since, drawing has remained a constant in my life.
In my family, drawing and painting were always encouraged as essential life skills. In my early adolescence, I studied with several painters who lived nearby. One of them once told me, “I can teach you theory and technique in half an hour, but I recommend you take a notebook and pencil and draw everything you see.”
When choosing a career, I told my family I wanted to be a painter; they suggested something more practical. I chose Architecture.
During my architecture studies at Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Santa Clara, Cuba), I learned about composition and light. I also studied color theory and fine arts techniques. Since graduation, I have continued to paint and draw. The cities I have lived in inspire me; their people, facades, vintage cars, animals, and the sea.
In 2016, I received Bodhisattva ordination, and in 2017, I was ordained as a Zen monk within the Deshimaru lineage. Alongside my practice of zazen, I developed a keen interest in the gestural quality and energy of Zen art. I focused specifically on Sumi-e painting and the art of calligraphy. These compositional and technical elements merged with my studies of Western fine arts. Now, they coexist within me. This state of close interdependence enhances my artistic expression.
Regardless of the medium I employ, whether oil, acrylic, charcoal, or ink, I always strive to capture living energy: that fleeting, impermanent second, in a constant endeavor to depict my universe with a single brushstroke. My works are held in private collections in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and Russia, among other countries. I have participated in solo and group exhibitions in Cuba and Spain.
Selected Exhibitions & Professional Timeline
March 1997
Group Exhibition, UCLV Gallery
October 1997
Group Exhibition, Faculty of Construction, UCLV
November 1998
Collaborative Mural Project, University of Holguín
April 1999
Group Exhibition, UCLV Gallery
April 2000
Group Exhibition, UCLV Gallery
August 2002 – 2003
Worked as a portrait artist (graphite drawings) at El Quitrín Gallery, Varadero, Matanzas
March 2005
Solo Exhibition “Blasphemies and Allegories”, Provincial Gallery of Cienfuegos
September 2005
Group Exhibition, September 5th Salon, Cienfuegos
March 2006
Solo Exhibition “The Invisibles”, AHS Provincial Headquarters, Cienfuegos
August 2014
Group Exhibition, UNEAC Provincial Headquarters, Matanzas
September 2014
Solo Exhibition “Among Dry Leaves”, Chartrand Hall, UNEAC Matanzas
October 2014
Group Exhibition, KAIROS Center for Religious Art, UNEAC Matanzas
January 19, 2016
Exhibition “Kore Nanzo”, Pharmaceutical Museum of Matanzas
October 17, 2016
Exhibition “Gashõ”, Pharmaceutical Museum of Matanzas
April 16, 2019
Exhibition “Shojo Jisso”, Pharmaceutical Museum of Matanzas
International Exhibitions
May 2005
Exhibition at the City Hall of Lien, Basque Country, Spain
October 2005
Exhibitions at the City Hall of Lien, Cantabria, Basque Country, and Barcelona, Spain